The tale follows young Sophie, played by Ruby Barnhill, who comes across a giant, portrayed by Oscar winner Mark Rylance – a Big Friendly Giant (BFG) who, unlike his peers, does not eat children.

Although Spielberg has made many family movies in his award-winning career, he has also directed more historical films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Lincoln”.

“I haven’t really swum in this wading pool in a long time,” Spielberg told Reuters at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“It was really nice to be able to just let my imagination roam free without being kind of fettered by all the precepts of history and all the truths you need to tell when you do a historical subject. So all of us felt free and very happy to be returning to our childhoods to tell this story.”

“The BFG”, which first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, hits cinemas worldwide from June 30.